Laundry-marking clip



R. HOFFMAN.

LAUNDRY MARKING cL| P'. APPLICATION FILED/OCT. 6. 1919? Patented Aug. 17, 1920.

Mta

UNITEDY STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RAY HOFFMAN, 0F NEWPORT, ISENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR T0 NATIONAL MARKING MACHINE COMPANY, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

LAUNDRY-MARKING CLIP.

Specification-ef Letters Patent.

Patented A110'. 17, 1920.

Application filed October 6, 1919. Serial No. 328,892.

a laundry marking clip of simple, durable and inexpensive construction.

A further object of my invention is to provide a clip, which may be secured to laundry by the launderer to distinguish an article which cannot be marked with ink, so that after it has been washed, it may be placed with the proper customers bundle.

A further object of my invention is to provide such a clip, which is adapted to be A readily attached to the goods or fabric of .if'ashable articles and which will. not damage these goods.

A further object of my invention is to provide a clip, comprising a readily removable portion and a permanent portion designed to receive a customer-s mark or other symbol so that the temporary portion of the clip may be changed from time to time, it becomes worn orunserviceable, with a comparatively slight expense. In this connection, it may be mentioned that it has been the custom to use metal for markers for laundry, which is flexible, 'so that the metal. may be bent over the laundry, and its resistance after being bent will hold it firmly secured to the laundry. It has, however, not been found practical to remove these clips from the laundry, so that they have been a source `of continual expense. Detachable clips of more perlnanent mate rial are uncertain because they have been in the past too heavy and are likely to tear the goods, besides being extremely difficult to remove, and of course the expense made it unadvisable to leave these clips upon the goods when they were sent to the customers.

My invention comprises a combination between the two old systems, which com bines the advantages of each without their disadvantages by using in connection with a comparatively stiff metal-body member of somewhat resilient material, a goods holding flap of flexible and very slightly resilient material, which may be pressed against the body member to grip the goods.

.which terminate iii-tongues l/l. may or may not be creased on the dotted l lV ith these and other objects in view, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accom panying drawings, in which Figure l shows a back view of my iinproved clip.

Fig. 2 shows a front view of the same.

Fig. 3 shows a longitudinal, central, sectional view therethrough.

Fig. l shows a side elevation of the clip.

Fig. 5 shows a plan view of the blank from which the p clip is made; and

Fig. 6 shows an end view of the device. Referring to the accompanying drawings, I have used the reference letter Alto inpermanent portion of the dicate generally the blank from `which my"` improved clip is made, which comprises a portion l() Vhaving a central opening 1l therein and a soinewhat pointed tongue 12 punched out at one end, so that the tongue will project somewhat upwardly from the surfaces of the body member, as is shown in Fig. 3.

llxtemling laterally from the body portion. l() of the blank are side members lll, The blank lines 1 5 for folding purposes. On the back of this blank is Aprinted or impressed a 11umeral, indicated by the reference numeral 1G, which will ofcourse be varied so that when the tag is attached to articles belonging in different bundles, then the number will distinguish which articles belong in which bundles.

A. slot or I )erforation i7 is formedat the 'upper end of the. body portion l0, and is adapted to receive a hook or the like, whereby the laundry article to which the tag is secured, may be suspended from the hook.

The body portion l() is preferably formed from a somewhat resilient metal, .such as aluminum or brass, and should'be such that .washing compounds or the like will not is provided with a round opening 18 at one end, and a substantially square opening 19 adjacent to the other end. The opening 1S is designed to permit the tongue. 12 to extend uprinto it, so that whenthe flap B is pushed down against the body 10, then the tongue 12 will serve to hold the goods between the tlap and body 13, and thereby prevent accidental displacement of the tag. It will be noted that the opening 18 is ot such size, it clears the tongue 12 by an appieciable distance, so that the goods which are being washed will not be tightly squeezed between two metal surfaces, as that would cause a black place on the goods, where it was so gripped.

The opening 19 is designed to receive the tongues 141- oiL the blank A, whereby the flap B may' be held against the body poi'- tion 10. For accomplishing this result, the extensions 13 are bent up over the iiap B, and the tongues 14 ai'e extended through the openings 19 and 11, and the protruding ends 14n are bent against the body 10, so that the tongues 14 may not spring away from the Hap B and permit it to spring away from the body portion 10.

The use of .flexible material, such as zinc, inthe flap B has a double purpose. The free end of the ilap may be bent between the ends readily to position where the tongue 12 will enter the' opening 18 for a considerable niimbei' of times without injuring the material of the Hap, so that the clip may be used to fasten to a number of garments successively.

Moreover if the iiap B were made out of resilient material, it would have to be constructed so that the resiliency ot 'the material would tend to force it against the body portion A thereby causing a portion of the garment 2O to be under compression, so ythat that portion would not be thoroughly washed.

AlVhen, however, the zinc tiap B is pressed dowii against the body portion 10, its resiliency is Just sufficient, so that it will engage the garment 2O some, but not enough to entirely prevent water from penetrating into the garment between the Hap and body portion. Moreover it will be seen that the pressure of the hand will naturally be somewhat toward the end of the flap B, so that the central portion ot the flap between the tongues 111 and the opening 18 will be somewhat bowed and therefore spaced from the body portion 10, which will permit water to enter between the body portion 10- and the flap, and permit the garment to be cleansed adjacent to the clip, almost, it not iiiilly as much, as the remaining portion oi? the'garment is cleansed.

'i The use of the tongue 12 also in connection with the opening 18 is such that water may be forced by the washing process through the opening 1S around the tongue 12, thereby permitting the portion ol' the garment to be cleansed.

In fact, experiments with this type of clip have shown that it is almost, it' not, entirely, impossible to tell where the clip has been fastened to a garment al'ter the latter has been washed.

ln this connection, special attention is directed to the shape ot the tongue it. and the manner in which it is formed. l ind that an ordinary pointed tongue proiecting upwardly from the body member into the opening 1S is somewhat likely to tear the goods when an article is being removed l'roni the clip. rllhe tongue, which l have provided, is theretore so shaped that even though the goods should be aceideiually torn out ot the grip, it would be highly iinpi'obable that the goods would he torn. due to the shortness ot the tongue '1b'.

I preterably itorm my tongue it.) by .`or I ing` the sharp pointed tool against the upper suriace ot the body member 10 with the axis of the tool inclined relative to the suri'aee or the body member, so that the point oi' the instrument will enter the material o the body member and form a recess therein. The pushing ot the instrument into the material of' the body member raises up the tongue 12 to substantially the shape shown iii Fig. 3, and forms the tongue. so that the side thereot opposite the. central portion of the body member will he inclined upwardly and toward the said central portion.

It 'is also of such shape that it the gar ment is to be pulled out ot the clip. it would be almost impossible to tear the l'abriiI by its contact with the tongue.

An advantage ot my improved vonsrurtion resioes in the tact that l provide a clip. which may be made entirely by punch presses and dies, wheieby'the cost ol' pro duction is minimized.

further advantage resides in the use oi' the zinc tiap B, which is flexible rather than resilient, and which makes it possible to wash the garment where the clip is tastened to it; besides making it easier to attach and detach the clip relative to the gar ment. Other metals may be substituted tor the zinc, such tor instance, as sott brass. the limitation being that the material ol' the [lap must be ilexible rather than resilient. 'the benc'ling or fiexible portion ot the rlip. namely the tiap B, may be also readily replaced at a comparatively small expense. but is adapted to be used tor a number of 'asliings without being changed.

A further advantage ot my invention resides in the fact that l have. provided a clip, which may be used to mark articles a considerable number of times. and wliii'h may be readily attached or detached to the garment. In this connection, it should he S ti noticed that where two jaws of this com paratively stili resilient material are used for gripping garments, which are washed, then the person who removes thesevclips from the garments aiter the latter are washed, must either useV a tool 'or the ref moral or else must exert a considerable eliort with the hands to spread the jaws.

then the garment may be removed by pull-` ing it in the proper direction to pull the iiap up to the position shown in dotted lines in F ig. 3; or the end of the tlap projecting beyond the opening 18 may be caught by the lingers of the operator and raised.

A. further advantage resides from the use of the flexible `flap member B, in that the 'central portion thereof a'lter it has once Cri been bent away from the body member l0 will. be bowed upwardly and away from the central portion oil the body member 1l), thereby permitting free access to the washing water, so that the edge ot the garment between the partel of the clip will be thoroughly cleansed. rllhe tongue is also of auch size and so placed relative to the opening 1S that it will press the goods up against the edges oi' the opening and will project into the fibers of the goods, ust sull'ciently to lite/ep them from sliding over the end ott the tongue when it is Yforced upwardly into the opening 18. This structure, it will. be noted, does not cause the cloth to be squeezed between the two metal portions thereby mailling it extremely unlikely that the cloth will be stained and making it possible to *ash the cloth throughout.

t/ome changes may be made in the constructionv and arrangement oi? my improved device without departing from the real purpose and spirit of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims any moditied forms of structure. or use oi" mechanical equivalents, which may be reasonably incliuled within their scope.

I claim my invention:

1. In a device o'l the class described, a laundry holding clip ci'nnprising a body portion having a central opening' and laterally projecting extensions at either side, and a itlap member oi' flexible material having an opening adjacent to one end whereby the ends oi the extensions may be folded over upon the flap member and extended through the said opening to hold the ilap member `-from movement relative to the body member.

2. In a device of the class described, a laundry holding clip comprising a blank oi resilient material having central openings, lateral extensions at either side and a tongue extended outwardly from the face thereof adjacent to one end, and a flap member of iiexible material having an opening at either end, one of said openings being designed to receive said tongue and the other opening being designed to receive said extensions, whereby the flap member may be secured to the body member.

In a device of the class described, a laundry holding clip comprising a blank formed from sheet metal, having a body portion with a central opening and an upper slot and a tongue extending from its surface adjacent to the lower portion, said body por tion having extensions at either side and a flap member having openings adjacent to either end, one of said openings being designed to receive the tongue and the other opening being designed to receive said era tensions, whereby the latter may be folded upon 'the body portion of the blank and extended through the central opening thereof and the flap to hold one end of the latter from movement relative to the body portion.

4l.. In a laundry holding clip adapted 'to receive and be attached on the articles to distinguish the articles of the bundle o'l" one customer troni those ot another bundle, a body member ot comparatively rigid material, and a Yl'lap member oiI flexible and substantially nou-resilient material having one end thereof secured to one end olli the body member, whereliiy the l'ree end ot the tlap member' may be moved selectivelyv toward and iroin the body member to engage and disengage laundry articles, the V[lap member being so disposed relative to the body member that its tree end is disposed between the adjacent end o'l the body member and the liXed end oi the Flap member.

5. In a laundry holding clip adapted to be detaclmbly mounted upon laundry articles, a. body member ol comparatively still' resilient material, and a ti ap member of ilexible but cominuatively non-resilient mate rial, having one end secured to the body member whereby ariaicles may be selectively engaged and released by the clip by moving the tree end ot the tlap member toward and. `from the body member, and means formed integral with the body member adapted to receive a lruindry supporting hook lined in. a laundry marking clip, a body member oi comparatively stiil' resilient material having a tongue raised from its surface adjacent to one end, and a flap member of flexible but comparatively non-resilient material having one end secured to 'the body member in position spaced trom the tongue and having an opening in the second adapted to receive the tongue when the free endl of the iap member is in position substantially parallel with the body member.`

6. In ay laundry holding clip adapted to beattachcd'to and frictionally engage articles to be launderecha bo'dy member ofv comparatively stili resilient material, which is notadapted to be flexedby the hands of an operator, anda flap-member of" flexible comparatvely non-resilient material adapted to be tlexedzby the operator, said-flap member having one end secured to the body member whereby the free end of the flap member may be moved by the hand of the operator selectively toward and from the body member to engage and disengage laundry articles.

7'. In a laundry holdingy clip adapted to receive and engage articles to be laundered, whereby the articles of one customer may be distinguished from those of another customer after they have beenwashed, a body member of comparatively stiff, resilient material; which. is notadapted to be readily iexed bythe hands of the operator, said bodyl member having al tongue extended upwardly from one of its surfaces adjacent to one end, the sideof the tongue adjacent to the rother end of the body member being inclined upwardly and away therefrom, and a Hap member of flexible andcomparatively non-resilientI material adapted` to'be flexed by the hands of the operator having one end securcdto the second end of the body member, said body member having an open ing adjacent to its :tree end, whereby the :vaid end of the Hap member may be moved selectively toward and'from the body member to engage and disengage laundry articles. the tongue and opening being so arranged thatI the former will enter the opening when the tlap'member is moved to position adjacent tothc body member, but will not oll'er projectingI corners,vwhich will tear the tabric when the latter is pulled out from between the flap member and body member.

S. In al laundry holding clip adapted to receive and' be attached on the articles to distinguishtlie articles oi' the bundle of one customer from those oi another bundle, a bodymember of comparatively rigid material, and a tlap'member of flexible material havingone end thereof secured to one end o the body member whereby the i'ree end of the flap member may be movedv selectively toward andfrom the, body member to engage and disengage laundry articles'. the flap member being ,so disposed relative to the body member that its Vlree end is disposed between the adjacent end of the body member and the iixedend of the flap meinber.

Des Moines, Iowa, September 1T, VISHS). RAY HOFFMAN. 

